STACK #161 Mar 2018

EXTRAS

FEATURE

The main cast – Top L-R Mark Burns, David Hemmings and Trevor Howard. Seated: Harry Andrews and John Gielgud

the command of Lord Lucan is pivotal to the disastrous and doomed charge. The insufferable martinet Cardigan and his brother-in-law, the equally petulant Lucan, hate each other with a vengeance. As well as being detestable upper- class fools, they are also both depicted as totally incompetent commanders. Into this mix enters Captain Louis Nolan (played by Hemmings), who has joined Lord Cardigan’s regiment in England after serving in India. Cardigan takes an instant dislike to the professional cavalryman whom he calls “That damn Indian”, and has him arrested on a trumped- up charge of ungentlemanly behaviour at dinner in the officer’s mess. To Cardigan’s surprise and fury, Nolan demands a court-martial, threatening to expose Cardigan as the blithering idiot he is. Nolan is swiftly transferred to Raglan’s staff. When the film opened in the UK, the media reviews were mixed and not helped by Richardson refusing to allow a London press review The film now proceeds to the Crimea, depicting the dreadful march inland, a cholera outbreak, and the British victory at the Battle of Alma. A month later at Balaclava, the Russians, who have regrouped around the sea-port of Sevastopol, are seen capturing British guns that have been positioned in a Y shaped valley. Raglan dictates a written order to his brigade of cavalry to “Ride into the valley and restore the guns to their rightful owners”. Nolan requests that he

“Forward, the Light Brigade!”

“There, my Lord, is the enemy, there are your guns.”

One of the brilliant animated sequences drawn by RichardWilliams

personally delivers Raglan’s order to Lords Lucan and Cardigan. The south valley with the captured guns is visible from Raglan’s higher ground perspective but not Lucan and Cardigan’s, who can only see the well defended north valley. When Lucan receives Raglan’s order from Nolan he asks, “What guns?” An indignant Nolan vaguely waving his arm shouts, “There, my Lord, is the enemy, there are your guns”. Lucan turns to Cardigan, now both sensing the forthcoming disaster, and states, “You have your orders”. Nolan, seeking glory, requests that he be allowed to accompany the 17 th Lancers and the Light Brigade begin their advance at a trot. However, now at ground level, Nolan suddenly realises the confusing nature of the geography and that the brigade is advancing down the wrong valley. In panic he wheels his horse and attempts to gain the attention of Cardigan, but a shell explodes above him and his shout turns into a dying scream. The Light Brigade, now at a gallop, continue their heroic charge into the valley of death.

When the film opened in the UK, the media reviews were mixed and not helped by Richardson refusing to allow a London press preview. Most of the critics praised the superb acting, the stunning cinematography, costume design, and Richard Williams’ animated sequences that bridged some of the narrative gaps. However, the general view was a flawed epic that fell well short of its expected greatness. But in America, both the movie and its director were verbally crucified in the media as the production totally failed to impress critics and audiences alike. They found it muddled and confusing – was it a historical drama or a comedy satire? One critic called it “pacifist propaganda”. Another stated that one would require subtitles to be able to understand what was going on. No doubt on reflection, the film’s dandified Victorian vernacular – with lines such as “Who sir? “You sir” “Me sir?” and “Lucan, you’re a stew-stick”. “And you sir, are not fit to command a troop of knackered tailors on stubbed donkeys” – was far too British and in fact practically alien for US audiences to comprehend. The result was a financial disaster with the film only recouping one million dollars from its $6.5million budget. Richardson’s directing career would never fully recover from this loss-making epic that was never quite the film it should have been.

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